The Final Night
by Kamakana1995
Summary: This is a story of the final night of Remus and Dora Lupin, who die during the Battle of Hogwarts.
1. He's Gone

**So here is my first ever Harry Potter fanfiction, and to be honest, I'm not all too proud of it. Please take the time to review, because this is one of the shortest stories I have ever written as a first chapter, and I'd really like to take further development as it progresses. Of course I have some ideas once the battle begins. So, I hope you enjoy!**

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"Who's the cutest widdle boy in the whole wide world?" laughed Nymphadora Lupin as she tickled her newborn son's little tummy, smiling as he smiled and waved his little hands through the air.

"Haha. Look! He got a new hair color!" said Remus, who was grinning at his son, still slightly in shock that he was actually a father now.

"You're right! That's funny. My mum said I didn't try out orange hair until I was three!" said Dora as she gently brushed her fingers over Teddy's orange scalp.

"So you did tell Harry he's godfather to Teddy right?" Nymphadora asked Remus after throwing a dirty diaper into the trash bin, missing for the dozenth time of course.

"Yes, I did. Bill and Fleur are doing well, by the way. When Harry folks left, I went back and asked if there was a baby in the near future. Fleur just blushed, and Bill said 'Not until we make enough money to support even half an extra person.' Well, with both of them making big galleons in Gringotts, I see no obstacle in the way," Remus said.

"That is very funny. I'll give them a year until they po-what's that?" Dora asked, pointing nervously at a glowing figure in the distance.

"A messenger patronus…" Remus said, standing up and running to the door.

The patronus appeared in the doorway just seconds later, and Remus immediately recognized the weasel as belonging to Arthur Weasley.

"Harry, Ron and Hermione have arrived at Hogwarts. Death Eaters are on the way. Need as much fighters as possible. Hurry! Apparate to Hogsmeade and then go to The Hog's Head. Aberforth Dumbledore has a secret passageway provided to get to Hogwarts."

The message was clear and firm, clearly reflecting the tone of panic that was probably in the sender's mind. Remus grabbed his wand and ran back to the living room.

"What's going on?" Dora asked Remus as he bolted into the living room and smacked a kiss on her lips, and a gentle kiss on Teddy

"Death Eaters are about to infiltrate Hogwarts! I've got to go!" Remus said, grabbing a coat from the hangar.

"What's going on?" asked a sleepy Andromeda Tonks, who was asleep on the couch.

"Remus, you can't go! Please, do not go! If you go, I'm going with you!" Dora said with tears starting to drip from her eyes.

"Dora, I have to do this! Do you want Teddy to live in a world under You-Know-Who's rule?" Remus said forcefully, keeping in mind that the taboo might still be in place.

"Who cares! Stay here and we can live in hiding!" Dora said, her hair flushing to a deep shade of red.

"Dora, please. Remus has to do this. We can't risk it. Don't worry, I'm here for you," said Andromeda, putting her arm around her sobbing daughter.

Tonks was unable to do anything but nod in regretful approval. In a flash, Remus bolted out the door, and with a swift pivot he was gone.

"No! No!" wailed Tonks as she heard the CRACK sound of Remus' disapparation, as she collapsed into her mother's arm. She looked at her son, who was now sleeping with a pacifier in his mouth. She thought about his future with no father, no grandfather, living on the run from You-Know-Who, or perhaps even being captured by the Death Eaters.

Pop! Remus appeared directly inside the Hog's Head, and immediately he gasped at the crowdiness of the filthy inn. He was actually surprised at the turnout. He didn't expect that there would be this many people willing to risk their lives to fight Voldemort. However, at a second glance he realized that over half of the people in the inn were Hogwarts Students, who were apparently being evacuated from the school. Remus scowled at the crowd of Slytherins shoving their way through the crowd. When all the students were out of the passage, the adults starting climbing into the passageway, which lead to the school. There were a good thirteen additional wizards there with him as they started going up the smooth stone steps, grateful for the brass lamps that lit the path. On the way up, all the wizards were frantically asking each other questions.

"Does everyone know how to cast a patronus?" asked a young man who looked no older than sixteen-and-a-half.

"I do! Make sure you are all able to cast shield charms and stunning spells!" said the only witch of the group.

"Aye! Impediment jinxes will do ya good as well," said a very ragged wizard.

"Okay! We're almost there, I think!" shouted an old man who was leading the party.

"Wizards! This way!" shouted some familiar voices.... Very familiar voices. _Fred and George Weasley_!

"Hey! Look! It's Mr. Daddy!" cheered Fred and George who were snickering at Remus, but took on their more serious face as their brother, parents and sister-in-law loomed into view. He was just about to ask everyone how they were doing when he spotted Harry. Remus hurried over to the foot of the stairs where Harry was standing in shock.

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**This leaves off from Page 603 in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the US Hardcover Version.**


	2. And the Fight Begins

**DISCLAIMER: Please note that the first portion of this paragraph is directly plagiarized from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which I do not own!**

"We've only got half an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast. A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest towers – Ravenclaw, Astronomy, and Gryffindor – where they'll have good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Meanwhile Remus" – he indicated Lupin – "Arthur" – he pointed toward Mr. Weasley, sitting at the Gryffindor table – "and I will take groups into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organize defense of the entrances of the passageways into the school –"

Remus, Arthur and Kingsley had discussed this plan up in the Room of Requirement while the underage and unwilling students were evacuated from the premises. They would position their squadrons directly beneath the aforementioned towers: Astronomy, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Oddly enough, they based their locations on their personalities. Brave Arthur would be fighting near Gryffindor Tower, with assistance from Professor McGonagall and her group of fighters in the tower. Witty Kingsley would be positioned under the Ravenclaw Tower with assistance from the brilliant dueler and charms teacher, Filius Flitwick. Moon-hating Remus would be at the foot of the Astronomy Tower, accompanied by Professor Sprout and her Herbology students and their offensive plants.

Remus' group was fairly small. The platoons fighting on the grounds had most of the adults, while the younger adults were stationed within the castle itself. Remus' army had amounted to four witches and sixteen wizards, all of whom were out of school and well into motherhood and fatherhood, or at least close to that age. He was fairly confident with his group, who had assembled before him while in the Great Hall.

"Alright men and women, we will be handling the fight at the foot of the Astronomy Tower. Before we head on over there we must proceed to Pomona's office to fetch earmuffs, which we will keep at our sides until a signal, yellow sparks, is fired from the top of the tower. They will give us one minute to put on our earmuffs before dropping mandrakes. We also need to make sure to cast overhead shield charms at the signal of purple sparks, after which they will drop snargaluff pods. Understood so far?" Remus had spoken all of this very clearly in his opinion, and there was no need to question him further unless someone had hearing problems. Fortunately, there were no fighters who misunderstood his directions. He carried on.

"After that we will be waiting at the foot of the tower. I want you to position yourselves into four rows. Those on the outside lines will be required to have shield charms around themselves, in order to protect everyone from siege. I will stand with you until the very end," he said, a knot forming in his throat. The last sentence he had said made him think of his wife and son. Dora would be widowed, and Teddy would grow up without a father. But he desperately hoped that his son would understand why, and the answer was that his father loved him deeply, and wanted to make sure he had gotten the best future possible, even if it meant giving up his life in the process.

After raiding the greenhouses for earmuffs and brushing up on snargaluff protection, the twenty witches and wizards were assembled at the foot of the Astronomy Tower, gazing up at the moonlight, breathing heavily, knowing that this may be the last hour of their lives. A large CRASH boomed loudly, and it was then that everyone jolted up and took formation. Remus stood at the front of the group, wand held out, and he was ready for combat.

It seemed as if the Death Eaters were trying to blow up the school itself, as Pomona had shouted frantically down to the fighters below, "Walls on the lower floors have been blasted! Bricks and fractured gargoyles and suits of armor everywhere!"

Looking forward, shadows began to enlarge beneath the silver glow of the moonlight. They were here, and they were ready for killing, but Remus' group was ready to do just the same. He looked back to his twenty noble companions, who grimly nodded in acceptance that they were indeed in this situation, whether they liked it or not. The first piece of black fabric appeared, followed by a reflective mask, and another, and another, and before he knew it, what looked like thirty Death Eaters had arrived, in tight formation, wands held out, and their leaders had pure looks of triumph on their faces, and Remus knew exactly who they were, as he had fought one of them, the man, in the skies above London. It was Antonin Dolohov and none other than Bellatrix Lestrange.


	3. Abandonment and Regret

**Thank you so much to my reviewers! I hope this one pleased you and that I followed through with my targetted suspense and drama.**

Nymphadora sat on the couch, her hands pressed against her eyes. Her mother, Andromeda, had her arm around her daughter and had a tissue in her hand, wiping away her tears. She had felt extremely pitiful for her daughter. The fact that Remus had gone away to fight for the greater good had made her feel proud that she raised a daughter who married a magnificent and chivalrous man, but he could very well die there. Andromeda herself was still very upset over the death of her husband, Ted. Sometimes looking at her grandson, Ted's namesake, made her frown and get teary-eyed.

However much Dora felt comfort in her mother's arms, she would much rather be with Remus. Actually, no! She would rather Remus be with _her, _so they could be a _real_ family! It didn't seem fair to Dora that she would be losing her husband now at all times, right after she had given birth to her first son. Deep in Dora's mind, she felt that she simply had to get to Hogwarts. She remembered most of what the messenger patronus had explained to Remus. Apparate to the Hog's Head where there was a secret passageway to Hogwarts. Simple enough, but there was one obstacle: her mother.

Andromeda sighed and hugged her daughter.

"Honey, I know you're upset. I am too. But we need to stay here and pray for the best of Remus, and hope that he comes home unscathed. This is what he would want you to do," Andromeda stated.

Dora only kept wailing in agony, and she slapped the arm of the couch in the process. Why, oh why, had Tom Marvolo Riddle had to be born into this world? Why did she have to be related to the Blacks, a bunch of dark-loving prats who never ceased to attempt murder to any 'mudbloods' or blood traitors?

"Come on honey, brighten up. You'll wake Teddy up. Why don't I go and make us a cup of tea?"

Dora skipped a beat of her steady sobs, due to an idea that just struck her mind.

'_I'll escape while she's in the kitchen!'_ Dora exclaimed in her mind. She straightened up only slightly, and gave a weak nod to her mother.

Seeing her daughter's soaked red face, Andromeda got up from the couch, tossed a few tissues into the trash bin, and walked over to the kitchen to put the kettle over the fire.

Among the hustle and bustle of her mother's actions in the kitchen, Nyphadora stood up slowly and silently, straight-backed and determined. With one final sniffle and a brush over her face to clear the tears, she pulled on her cloak and grabbed her wand, before sneaking over to her son's crib, and saying a goodbye, which would sadly be her last. The tears came back. This child was now practically her life, and now she was dropping him just like that. Dora pressed her lips against his cheek, and then straightened out his curly turquoise hair. She looked back to the kitchen where her mother was, and then to her son's crib, and muttered a silent "I love you," to her family.

She slowly turned the doorknob, opened it, stepped out onto the porch and breathed in the warm air, before shutting the door as quietly as possible behind her. She walked forward to a blank area in the clearing. She looked back at the house and saw the shadow of her mother behind the curtain, and the lit rooms within. This was the place where she spent her entire childhood. This was the place where she had climbed onto a tree and fell face down onto a rock; the place where she snuck away to the river with a self-made raft, only to have it sink to the rushing depths below; the place where she had listened to her parents tell fantastic stories about their own pasts; the place where she had gotten her Hogwarts letter; the place where she returned for the holidays for a nice and quiet Christmas feast or a summer homecoming; the place where could return to after Auror duty; the place where she had seen her father for the last time; the place where she delivered her own son; and the place where she had seen her mother for the last time.

With one single pivot and a loud CRACK, Nyphadora Tonks Lupin vanished. As soon as she disappeared, Nymphadora could swear that she could hear a shout exclaiming "NO!" from her mother, as well as the confused cries of her son. As she warped through space at the speed of light and arrived in the Hog's Head just a split second later, new tears flowed down her cheeks. The first person she had run into was an old woman, who she could distinguish as Augusta Longbottom.

"Ah! Hello dear! A metamorphmagus, are you? Very interesting!" the old woman said, pointing to Tonks' blue hair.

Dora smiled and wiped away her tears, and replied, "Good evening. Yes, I'm a metamorphmagus. Interesting indeed and it comes in handy in situations like this."

Augusta clearly knew that something was wrong, due to the young woman's red and teary face, not to mention the depressing tone in her voice. "Now what's wrong, dear?" she asked.

Dora shook her head, but responded anyway. "My husband is fighting in Hogwarts and I don't know where he is. I just lost my father recently, and I just left my mother and son."

Augusta gasped. "Are you Nyphadora Tonks? I've seen your name in the Daily Prophet a couple of years back. An Auror I believe? I was very sad to hear about the death of Ted Tonks. He was a mighty fine man, he was. Such a disgrace to wipe him from the face of the earth like that, but I assure you, his death will be avenged."

Dora smiled at the woman, and nodded to verify that she was indeed Nyphadora Tonks. "Dora Lupin is my preferred name…" she stated, fighting to hold back even more tears.

"Ah, alright then Mrs. Lupin! Well enough of this talk! Let's get to Hogwarts eh?" she asked.

Dora nodded and followed Mrs. Longbottom into the secret passageway, which was under the guidance of a sweet blonde-haired young girl in a portrait. It wasn't long before they had reached the end of the passage, and Dora at first glance recognized the flaming red hair of Ginny Weasley.


End file.
